Today we face a climate of ever increasing misdirection by popular media. This site, along with others, aims to reveal the reality of America and the loss of fact inherent to the over riding theme of our current political and social confusion: Purposeful deception.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The 2012 Presidential Debates vs. Reality

Another Presidential
election will soon be upon us. As in the past, this election has more to do
with showmanship than reality. When a pizza slogan captures the imaginations of
American voters rather than serious issues like that of a ten-year long war
without purpose or the migration of American Industry to foreign lands, one has
to wonder whether American voters are all in some way, suffering from dementia when
seriously considering any of these performers for the highest office in the
land. If these candidates are the best
of the best from the Republican Party, one must pause to contemplate whether
reality has left the GOP’s collective consciousness or whether those producing
this performance, think American’s are all so easily amused.

Currently, the public
opinion of Congress shows an 82%
disapproval rating. Considering this political side show of Presidential
campaigning echoing the reality of our representative’s inability to lead, it
doesn’t seem things are going to get better any time soon. One would hope this
campaign would have brought about a better approach to our current, economic
and social debacle but this latest Republican run for President has brought to
us all nothing more than sycophantic amusement.
Forget the circus, this show has an entertainment factor high enough to
rival even the best of late night television or drama mini-series’. Like watching an episode of Family Guy,
candidates from Perry to Bachmann have rendered unto us all a level of
ridiculous that one has to wonder whether they even take the role of President
seriously. It would be funny if it
weren’t so very sad.

The overriding theme of
these debates has nothing to do with facts and viable policy change but rather,
the sole purpose of getting our current President out of office and these
candidates are doing and saying anything to facilitate that. Take the “oops”
factor as an example: Perry can’t remember the three
federal agencies he will cut and Cain seems unable to sort through the
pre-interview history lessons he received to sort out the agree or disagree
question of Obama’s
handling of Libya or even his apparent ignorance of China’s
nuclear capability. He also, as if
his pizza slogans and apparent lack of understanding on foreign policy hadn’t
provided enough entertainment; when asked if he was a Koch Brother funded
politician, replied, “They
are my brothers from another mother”.
You have to at least respect his brazen honesty. After all, every other
Koch paid politician in the Tea Party has denied this role.

It is easy to understand the
incessant push to oust our current president from a political standpoint but when
torture becomes an “enhanced
interrogation technique” rather than the crime against humanity and a
tactic in direct conflict with the Geneva Convention that it is, one can’t help
but imagine these people will say anything to appeal to what they consider to
be their base, no matter their personal stance. Take Senator Michelle Bachmann
as an example: As a self-acclaimed, devout
Christian; when asked about water boarding replied that it was "clearly
wrong" to call it torture.
Earlier in the month, this same Holy Roller in her version of government’s
social responsibility stated “if
you don’t work, you don’t eat”.
Surely, Jesus would have agreed with both of these statements; yes?

Not to be upstaged, Governor
Rick Perry has offered us a campaign filled with gaffs and laughs. With his forgetful manner and personable
demeanor, he had stormed the campaign trail with a platoon of republican Tea
Party supporters quoting how Texas
has led the nation in job
creation. He says he stands against
big government and social entitlements of America but upon closer
examination, the jobs created in his State have largely come from this same big
government
he so adamantly criticizes. Contradiction though, is always a character
attribute enjoyed by an audience.

There is also the antagonist
of this tantalizing plot: Ron Paul. As an established physician and US Senator, Paul
has such a grasp on the reality of our American, governmental hypocrisy, he is
the man Republicans love to hate. But on
the stage of the debates and off, he is often ignored
by popular media. Maybe it is
because he makes too much sense in his attacks on the FED and his description
of our current, corporatist government as a fascist state which is damaging to
their profit centered right-wing cause.
No matter how you view him, Paul is a thorn in the side of the fantasy
oriented, Republican Party political game and apparently, isn’t afraid to point
out this nation’s leadership failings even if it is directed at his own side of
the aisle.

Let us not forget in this
cold shower of power, the ever present, larger than life, Newt Gingrich; a
candidate with chutzpah, gall and charisma. Surfing the media hating wave of
the right wing, political ocean, the former Speaker of the House shows up at
every debate with fire in his gullet and lax sense of tact. Going from one scene to the next as good Newt
versus bad, this man, if elections were to be based upon entertainment factor
alone, would have my vote. His brazen
approach to Washington
politics as usual is very entertaining.
Adding to these attractive qualities is his past snafus: A man that once
condemned and pushed for the impeachment of President Bill Clinton for the
immoral actions of infidelity, this candidate was himself, engaging
in the same. But us Americans love a
conflicted character, don’t we?

And then, finally there is
Mitt Romney: The former Governor of Massachusetts, this character rides the
middle switch rail. Charged with the
energy of Presidential campaign experience, Romney is the protagonist of the
plot. Cast as the father figure in a
house filled with insane children, this candidate is more equipped to take the
reigns of the White House than any other candidate to date; a sad reality, to
be sure. His character has been imbued
with the always entertaining infliction of seemingly, political schizophrenia. At one time Romney was free choice then he
became pro-life for the campaign. He
enacted a social heath care program in Massachusetts
only to condemn Obama’s similar one. Likewise, he once supported same-sex
marriages only to flip flop for
the campaign trail. This candidate
is truly intriguing or rather, baffling; but then what would a good drama be
without such?

John Huntsman, the red
headed step child of this anti-reality show, is the only candidate thus far to
possess any reasonable platform. When
asked about the current debacle in the GOP, Huntsmansaid the following:
“We’re off camped out in the extreme ends of politics, finger-pointing and
engaging in hyper-charged partisan rhetoric. We’re not doing the work of the
people. So I say, you got to do the work of the people, you have to put
something on the table that at least stands a chance.” Oh, but that would expecting too much of this
fantasy enwrapped side show. After all, it
isn’t about solutions; it is about distraction and partisan solidarity in the continuing
defamation of our current President. It
is comforting to know that at least some Republicans on the Island
understand this.

The debates all have one
thing in common despite the apparent lack of reason; an anti-Obama agenda. When asked about economics or our foreign
policy and whether their individual experience would warrant a position to
handle the job of the most powerful person on the planet, most of these
candidates respond simply by saying, “at least it is better than
what we have now with Obama.” Apologies all around to those who support this
statement but it is simply not a viable answer. Just speaking out about our
current President as defunct is not enough to deserve America’s vote.

People across America
are listening intently to these figures of political contradiction filled
episodes like reality television addicts looking for a fix. No matter how long the show goes on though, the
plot is still a false representation of the real America we all live in. Maybe in the 80’s, when prosperity was there
for all, this empty rhetoric would have been enough but now, in these days of
increasing poverty and devastating class warfare, the show is losing its
appeal. No mater how long these puppets
speak or for that matter, what they speak about, it doesn’t change the current
reality of our Nation’s troubles. At the
end of the day, the debates have come to represent one thing only: Our
governmental leaders have no idea what We the People really want or need.

Watching the Republican
Party campaign is akin to tuning into a daytime soap opera. As the characters develop and the plot
thickens, the next episode becomes greatly anticipated. Will Michelle and Rick come to terms with
their hypocrisy? Will Mitt finally fail
in his seemingly solid delivery of flip-flop, partisan politics? Or will Newt actually take the lead with his
persistent delivery of middle-aged angst against media? Stay tuned folks, the drama will continue and
if you don’t tune in, you will never know who killed the butler in the library.

The debates, though
entertaining, represent nothing more than a continuation of the same sad
distractions we have been forced to watch for the past twenty years. Americans have come to realize that the
present, political farce occupying Washington
has nothing new to offer. This mini-series of dysfunction makes clear the sobering
truth that We the People are no longer truly represented. No matter your political affiliation or
whether you agree or disagree with the statements of heard on the campaign trail
stage or in this article, we all can unequivocally agree on one basic truth:
The 2011 Presidential debates lacks both reality and the viable solutions that this,
our modern America and its people, so desperately need.

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